Safety

This is probably the most important section in this entire FAQ. The White Mountains are a dangerous place. People die there all the time. Some from unavoidable accidents, but many from ignorance and stupidity. In this section we'd like to present some of the questions that we have been asked about various topics. However, a good place to start is with a page that has much of our collected wisdon on it: the 10 Things to Remember For Hiking in the White Mountains page.

Mark Twain once said, "If you don't like the weather in New England, wait a minute." This is never more true than in the fall or early spring. We've lived here for 10 years now, and can give you these rules of thumb:

It is normally 10 to 20 degrees colder in the mountains than in southern NH, where most of the weather forecasts come from.

We have had snow on the ground for Halloween a few times.

It rains a lot in the fall.

It has also been 75 degrees on Halloween.

That about says it all. Pay close attention to the weather a few days before the trip. Depending on the altitude you plan on being at (subtract another 2 - 5 degrees for every 1000 feet you gain).

Remember that most New Hampshire Forecasts are for the lower elevations. The peaks are a whole different story. We had readers thank us for reminding them to take a fleece jacket in August, so I would prepare for temps as low as the 20s at night.

The bottom line is this: the temperature is not as important as staying dry. People die on these mountains every single day of the year. Another hypothermia victim was flown off the mountain a few weeks ago [September, 1999]. Found dead by a group of hikers. Prepare for the worst and you will have a pleasant trip. Bring layers, raingear, and synthetic fabrics and you should be fine. Remember, COTTON KILLS.

The body of a man believed to be a hiker has been found on Mount Lafayette
in Franconia Notch in New Hampshire. It's not known how long the man had
been on the mountain. Police say it appears that 51-year-old Brian Kane of
New York died from hypothermia. An autopsy will be performed to determine
the cause of death. Other hikers discovered the body shortly after noon
yesterday about 200 yards from the peak. It was brought down by helicopter.

Snow may fall at this time of year, but rarely sticks around for more than a few hours. Mt. Washington has already had over 2 total inches in September [1999], but it's gone by now. You can find some useful weather links from the How To page on our site (http://hike-nh.com/howto/howto.shtml?weather). Go to "how to get a weather report for the White Mountains." Pay special attention to the Mt. Washington Observatory (http://www.mountwashington.org) site.

A final example. Right now, September 30, 1999 it is 49 degrees where I live in Newmarket, NH (near Portsmouth). It is 30 on top of Mt. Washington. There's the 20 degree spread. In another month, I would expect it to be 10 degrees colder in both places.
Good luck and stay warm.

As with most of the questions we are asked, there is a short answer to your
query. There is also an infinitely long answer, which you should hear at
least a significant part of. Here goes:

In short, we do not recommend Mt. Washington to novice hikers even in the
summer months, never mind the winter.

At length:

Mt. Washington has been called by many "the most dangerous small mountain in
the world." This is not a joke. Since records have been kept beginning in
the mid-1800s, well over 130 people have died on Mt. Washington and the
other northern Presedentials. Eliminating those killed in vehicular
accidents (plane crashes, Auto Road accidents, and the Cog Railway) the
death toll is still over 100. This number has unfortunately been increasing
geometrically in recent years as more and more people take to the
backcountry. I believe the body count is three already this season, and we
haven't reached the busiest time of year when hundreds of people climb
Tuckerman's Ravine to ski the Headwall.

When personified, one inevitably concludes that Mt. Washington possesses a
Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde personality. This is perhaps the most dangerous of
its many characteristics. During the relatively warm summer months that
envelop the rest of the state, the mountain can display two distinct
environments. When the weather is dominated by high pressure and the skies
are clear and sunny, climbing the mountain is a moderately strenuous dayhike
for anyone with a water bottle, decent sneakers, a windbreaker, and who is
in reasonable shape. The round trip can be done in 4 hours from base to
base, and people in good shape don't even break much of a sweat. Yet, on the
same day, a low pressure system can blow through and the weather can turn
violent enough to scare even the most seasoned hikers; usually with deadly
consequences for the unprepared.

Consider the following:

Mt. Washington has received measurable snowfall during every month of the
year.

The highest temperature EVER recorded on the summit: 72°F (August 1975).

Average temperature for the year is 26.5°F

Average annual snowfall is 256 inches

Winds exceed hurricane force (75 MPH) on an average of 104 days a year

The summit is in the clouds about 60% of the time

The highest recorded surface wind speed in the world was recorded on the
summit of Mt. Washington in April of 1934; it was 231 m.p.h.

In the wintertime, the mountain displays much the same bi-polar personality,
only with temperatures ranging from a frighteningly low -20°F to a high of
+30ºF. Couple this with unrelenting wind, lack of shelter, and the fact that
the summit is on clouds most of the time, and one sees the deadly potential.
On a clear, sunny day, many skiers make the climb to the top of the
Tuckerman's Headwall without incident, wearing light jackets to control
their temperature. But when (not if, but when) the weather turns bad, people
face the potential of losing their life.

There is a weather observatory on the summit that has been continuously
staffed since the 1930s. They have this to say about Mt. Washington:

"Home of the World's Worst Weather"

Mount Washington presents the most severe combinations of wind, cold, icing
and storminess available anywhere in the world where people are on hand to
take measurements. The summit lies in the path of the principal storm tracks
and air mass routes affecting the northeastern United States, and it is,
because of its elevation, biologically and ecologically similar to the
subarctic zone.

The people who live on the summit year-round know what they're up against.
They allow members of the observatory to visit them during the winter
months. More than anyone else, I trust their judgement, and I encourage you
to read carefully their recommendations at this address:

Their basic piece of advice to novice the winter hiker "Don't go for the
summit." Beyond that they give the best and perhaps the most common-sense
advice I've ever read about the subject.

In addition to all of the above warnings, I will also tell you that much of
the area around Washington is closed to camping anyway per US Forest Service
regulations. This is done as an effort to combat the intensive use that the
area receives year-round. The Mt. Washington Observatory page above
describes these restrictions well.

All that being said, I would pursue a trip to a much less severe area for my
first outing. Chris and I recently reviewed a trip to Franconia Falls
(http://hike-nh.com/trips/franconia/) that could easily be
extended with a little creativity. Backcountry camping permits are required
in the area, but are available free of charge from the Lincoln Woods Info
Center. The beginning of the trail is well packed and traveled that it
provides a great way to evaluate the weather before committing yourself too
deeply. It eventually crosses the boundary of the Pemigewasset Wilderness
area, which provides incredible camping away from crowds. It is also near
water which is important, because as you'll soon find out, melting enough
snow for cooking and drinking water really stinks and uses way more stove
fuel than you think.

Lastly, if you do plan on any hiking on peaks / summits, the following gear
list is what the Observatory demands people coming to visit them bring, for
the ride up the road in the snowcat. This is considered EMERGENCY gear -- it
has nothing to do with providing comfort or camping overnight. This is the
bare minimum needed to survive a 3 - 4 mile walk above treeline.

Long underwear, tops and bottoms (wool or synthetic -- not cotton).

Wool or synthetic pants (Jeans or any cotton pants are not acceptable);
Wool or synthetic (e.g. fleece, pile) shirts and sweaters.

Umm, no. You pretty much have to worry about bears that have left the woods and are near you. If they stay in the woods, you should be fine. But seriously, there are bears in New Hampshire. They are black bears, which normally don't bother people. However, in recent years, these bears have become accustomed to feeding on garbage, birdfeeders, and other things that people leave around the North Country. So what this means is: are you likely to be attacked by a bear? No. You will not, in all probablility, unless you do something really stupid, become part of Yogi's dinner. Will you encounter a bear? Possibly, although they tend to stay away from humans. The surest way to encounter a bear, however, is to leave food around your camp. Bears have an incredible sense of smell and are eating machines during the summer. If they smell your dinner leftovers they could, quite possibly, wander into your camp. If you are in the habit of keeping food in your tent, they may try and rip it open to see what's inside. If you are inside at the time, this could be quite an unpleasant experience. The safest thing to do is follow some simple rules:

DO NOT EVER KEEP FOOD IN YOUR TENT! This is dangerous. Even if it is in plastic bags. Bears and other animals can smell food right through plastic bags (because most bags are made from food grade polyethylene which is a vapor permeable plastic. Basically odor molecules can go right through the bag. That's why a trout in a ziplock bag eventually makes your whole refrigerator stink). Even if you are not in camp, it is never wise to keep food in your tent, since you are much more likely to encounter raccoons, skunks, squirrels, mice, and a host of other rodents that will think nothing of chewing a hole in your tent just to get to your food.

Cook 50 or more feet (100 is better) away from your sleeping area.

Wash dishes and things at least 100+ feet from camp.

Hang your food and garbage over a tree limb at least 50 feet from camp over night and when you aren't there. Again, this is mostly for protection from rodents chewing through your tent, but it never hurt to be safe.

As a final note, in case you don't believe bears are a problem, I give you two pieces of evidence. First, the New Hampshire Fish and Game department thinks the bear problem is severe enough to make them stop printing the classic yellow "Brake for Moose" bumper stickers in favor of the new green "Something's Bruin in New Hampshire, Learn to Live With Bears" stickers. And second, this photograph was taken by one of our co-workers from a second story window of our office building in Rochester, NH on 5/19/99. Enough said.